Read Online Forever and Always by Leigh Greenwood - Free Book Online Page A

didn’t know what to say. She was irritated that anyone in town had thought it was acceptable to talk about her to a stranger. Cactus Corner was growing rapidly, but it was still a small town. People stuck together, especially those who were related. They didn’t give out that kind of information to just anybody.
    But someone had. It would be foolish to ignore an offer of help just because she was irritated. Yet it seemed impossible that he could do all he said. Where would he have learned it? If he knew so much, how could he have ended up as he was now? She knew nothing about him. Could she trust him? There was no one to vouch for him. She didn’t even know enough to be able to tell if he was doing the work correctly. Apparently, he guessed what was going through her mind.
    â€œI know I’m coming to you without references. You don’t know if you can trust me or whether I can do what I say. But unless I’m mistaken, you don’t have the experience to know what work needs to be done or how to do it.”
    He was a stranger, an unknown entity, and a man whose appearance was against him. So why did she feel she could trust him? “You have gauged my situation exactly,” she told him, “so you can understand why I’m reluctant to accept your offer.”
    â€œWhat have you got to lose? If you can’t learn how to manage this bank, you’ll go broke. If that’s the case, I can’t see anyone wanting to buy it. Your only alternatives are to sell it immediately if you can find a buyer, or settle in and learn how to run it.”
    Sibyl thought of the money sitting in the safe. Was it enough to last for the rest of her life? She had no idea. Even if it was enough for her, what about Kitty’s education? Boarding school would be expensive. Was it possible to find a buyer quickly? Even so, her customers would need access to their accounts. She couldn’t just close up and wait for a buyer to show up.
    â€œAre you on good terms with the owners of the other bank?” Mr. Holstock asked.
    â€œYes. The biggest investors are my cousins and their husbands.”
    â€œDo you feel you could ask any one of them to take the time to teach you?”
    She’d already thought of that. The only person deeply involved in the management of the bank was her cousin Ethan, and he didn’t have the spare time to teach her how to be his competition. Nor did she feel it was fair to ask him now that she’d had time to consider the matter in more detail. “No, I don’t. We’re a close family, but we’re all responsible for ourselves.”
    â€œDo you think he could spare the time to look at my work and tell you if I’m honest and capable?”
    Ethan was very busy, but maybe Colby or Jared could help in a pinch. They had their own businesses, but they would be sure to know if Mr. Holstock was cheating her. “You say your name is Holstock. One of my cousins is married to a Jared Smith, but he was born a Holstock. He came from Texas.”
    â€œI’m from Chicago, so I’m sure there’s no connection.”
    She hadn’t thought so, but Holstock was an unusual name, and Jared and Colby had a missing brother somewhere. But beyond having a big-framed body, Logan Holstock didn’t bear the slightest resemblance to them. “Sorry. I seem to have wandered from the problem at hand.” She took a deep breath and made her decision. It didn’t make sense, but she felt drawn to this man. Maybe it was just that he’d saved her life, but she was curious to know more about him. “I have no way of knowing if you’re honest, if you can balance a ledger, or even if you can read. I wouldn’t know anything about you except that you’re very brave and an excellent shot. But you could very easily have backed out of the bank and left us to our fate. Because you didn’t, I’m going to take a chance that you can help